Electric drills are usually constructed as straight-drilling machines in which the drill spindle extends parallel to the motor shaft and axis of the housing and, for specific purposes, as angular-drilling machines in which the drill spindle is aligned at a right angle to the motor shaft and housing axis. In certain applications in which both straight and angular drilling must be carried out, as is the case in installations in wooden house construction, the two machines must be at hand for continuous alternation.
In order to reduce the number of tools needed at a work site, articulating drills have been developed. One such articulating drill is disclosed in U.S. application Ser. No. 11/593,187, filed on Nov. 3, 2006. The tool disclosed in the '187 application includes a head portion including a head housing, a bit holder rotatably positioned within the head housing, and a bearing member operable to transfer a first axial force from the bit holder to the head housing. A frame is rotatably connected to the head portion for placement in a plurality of positions with respect to the head portion and operably connected to the head housing for receiving the first axial force transferred to the head housing. The tool further includes an articulating gear system for transferring rotational force generated by a motor to the bit holder at each of the plurality of positions.
The tool disclosed in the '187 application thus provides a single tool which provides both straight and angular drilling or other shaping operations. During operation of the tool disclosed in the '187 application, as well as operation of other power tools, precise control of the hand-held power tool requires that the user of the tool have good visibility of the work piece at the point of the shaping operation. Lack of sufficient lighting is frequently caused by generally poorly lighted construction environments. Even in areas of generally good lighting, the operator of the tool and the tool itself cast a shadow over the work piece. Visibility can also be reduced by a build-up of cutting debris (e.g., sawdust).
Various alternatives are available to improve visibility such as by removal of debris formed by the shaping operation. Some power tools employ vacuum systems connected to the tool to remove cutting debris. The use of a vacuum system, however, often makes control of the tool more cumbersome. Moreover, even if the shaping operation debris is removed, the potential remains for insufficient lighting at the point of a shaping operation solely from lack of proper lighting. The potential for poor lighting is increased by the ability to use tools such as the tool disclosed in the '187 application in confined work areas.
Some attempts to ameliorate poor lighting conditions at the point of a shaping operation have included the addition of one or more light emitting diodes (LED) near the bit holder of a tool. The use of point light emitters is effective in applications with little if any debris so long as an appropriate sight line to the point of the shaping operation is available. In applications with greater levels of debris, and application where there are limited sight lines available such as in confined work areas, point light emitters are easily obfuscated.
Accordingly, there is a need for a hand-held power tool that allows increased illumination at the point of a shaping operation. A power tool that allows increased illumination at the point of a shaping operation with an articulating power hand tool with a reduced forward section and a compact articulating system is also needed.